The Welsh Marches Railway: Newport to Shrewsbury, A Contemporary Perspective

Formerly known as the North and West Route, the Welsh Marches Line runs for 95 miles from Newport to Shrewsbury. It is a vital rail passenger link between Wales, Northern England (to Manchester via Crewe) and the Midlands. It also connects North and South Wales. The route sweeps through delightful countryside on the borderlands of England and Wales. It is unique in that it has one of the longest sections of railway line on the network in the UK that still uses the steam age Absolute Block method of signalling to control the trains, operated by mechanical signals from 16 consecutive signal boxes, the most continuous number of signal boxes anywhere on a stretch of line in the UK. It also has the distinction of operating the largest working mechanical signal box in the world, Shrewsbury’s Severn Bridge Junction, located just outside Shrewsbury station. Although freight traffic has reduced considerably in recent years, this has been offset by the introduction of locomotive hauled premier passenger services.